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greenpowerZONE Products for the week of June 1, 2009
PowerGenix Says…
Ritz Camera Super Z Battery Introduces PowerGenix's AA Nickel-Zinc Technology
Ritz Camera, the nation's largest retail camera and photo chain, has announced the introduction of Quantaray Super Z, a Nickel-Zinc (NiZn) AA rechargeable battery and charger set. Ritz's Super Z batteries provide greater power for today's high drain consumer electronics, enabling superior camera performance compared to existing rechargeable batteries. San Diego-based PowerGenix, developer and manufacturer of nontoxic, high performance NiZn rechargeable technology, will supply the batteries to Ritz.
Despite rapid innovation in the capabilities of portable electronics, until recently, progress has been slow to develop batteries able to meet the demand of these power-hungry devices. With advanced NiZn performance, the Super Z has been introduced by Ritz Camera to fulfill the growing needs of high drain digital cameras and accessories. By delivering a higher voltage than existing rechargeable cells, cameras equipped with NiZn cells benefit from brighter flash, shorter flash recovery time, and more shots per charge.
"Quantaray Super Z batteries exemplify Ritz's commitment to providing customers with innovative, world-class products. Responding to the demand for better battery performance, we've selected state-of-the-art Nickel-Zinc technology to deliver the advanced power required of today's camera and photo electronics," said Ritz Camera CEO David Ritz. "With greater power for better camera performance coupled with easy recharge and operation, Super Z means you'll never miss the shot."
Committed to protecting the environment, Ritz Camera is an active member in the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation's (RBRC) Call2Recycle program for the collection and proper disposal of rechargeable batteries. Earlier this year, PowerGenix's NiZn technology was certified by the RBRC for collection and recycling, becoming only the fifth rechargeable chemistry recognized by the program. Further amplifying Ritz's environmental efforts, PowerGenix's NiZn batteries contain no toxic heavy metals such as lead, cadmium or mercury and are the most recyclable rechargeable chemistry on the market.
"With the Super Z, Ritz Camera has taken great strides to present their customers with high quality, eco-friendly power solutions, and in the process positioned themselves at the cutting-edge of a changing marketplace," said Dan Squiller, CEO of PowerGenix. "As the pioneer in Nickel-Zinc technology, PowerGenix is providing Ritz with the latest in battery innovation, delivering performance at the pinnacle of consumer rechargeable batteries."
EN-Genius Says…
The appearance of PowerGenix’ Ni-Zn battery technology in a retail product is significant because it is a good indicator that the technology behind it is commercially feasible and has real potential to drop the cost of energy storage for a wide range of applications from power tools to electric vehicles. But why should anybody care about PowerGenix’ nickel-zinc (Ni-Zn) battery which clearly admits that its energy density is a bit lower than the mature Li-Ion products that currently dominate the high-performance battery market? For starters, it’s around half the price, can be built on existing Ni-Cd manufacturing lines and doesn’t have the unpleasant thermal characteristics of its lithium-based cousins when it’s heavily stressed or damaged. Then there’s the fact that the Ni-Zn battery structure can deliver extremely high currents without having to resort to life-shortening mods – a feature that should make it a very attractive option in surge-prone applications like power tools and electric vehicles.
Dan Squiller, PowerGenix’ CEO, says that their Ni-Zn technology was developed to take advantage of several trends happening within the battery industry. The cells can be manufactured on older Ni-Cd production lines which are being phased out as European and Asian RoHS laws take effect. This allows PowerGenix to leverage existing manufacturing capabilities to scale their production capacity inexpensively with a minimum of risk: and much lower capital requirements. Its inorganic aqueous electrolyte enables the battery to comply with strict European RoHS regulations and helps make the batteries easy to recycle through the same channels currently used to process used Ni-Cd cells. In fact, PowerGenix has worked with the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC) and is now certified as recyclable, allowing it to be dropped off at any RRBC take-back point or processed in any facility set up to handle Ni-Cd batteries.
But environmental friendliness is only one half of the equation. If PowerGenix’ spec sheets for its AA- and sub-C-sized cells are accurate, Ni-Zn’s basic chemistry delivers enough power density and recharge cycles to make it competitive with existing Lithium and Ni-MH products. Part of this is its intrinsic cell voltage of 1.6 V, a level that works well with equipment designed for the nominal 1.5 V output of a traditional alkaline battery. The higher voltage also delivers around 30% more energy per mA-h than a typical 1.2 V Ni-MH cell and allows it to discharge more deeply before its output sags below a regulator’s drop-out voltage. Although the present generation of Ni-Zn batteries have slightly lower current capacities than their Ni-MH counterparts, their higher nominal voltage allows them to match their power density. For example, CEO Squiller says, today’s Ni-Zn AA cells currently pack around 1500 mA-h worth of charge, it is still able to deliver the equivalent run time of a 2500 mA-h Ni-MH cell in a digital camera.
At the moment, Ni-Zn battery charging characteristics seem to be as good as most products on the market today and are expected to improve significantly in the next couple of years. PowerGenix says that their batteries do not exhibit any charge memory characteristics and do not require any special care. Their self-discharge rate is a bit under 1%/day, better than Ni-MH but not as good as Li-Ion. The copper used as part of the cells’ basic structure gives them great high-current characteristics. With an internal resistance of around 4 mΩ, a sub-C cell can discharge at rates of up to 150 A.
The speed at which the Ni-Zn cells can be charged is a function of how much a customer wants to invest in the charging system. Although the cells prefer a charge rate of C/2 to C/5, the addition of smart charge control electronics will allow them to handle charge rates of 2C without sacrificing battery life. PowerGenix says that most manufacturers using their products are finding that the basic charge control circuitry that enables a 1 - 1.5 hour charge time is a good trade-off between the smart chargers that can charge a battery in 30 – 45 minutes and the low-cost dumb chargers that take 3 – 5 hours. About the only negative point is that Ni-Zn chemistry does not take kindly to float-charging situations where the charger, battery, and load are connected in parallel.
A designer using these batteries will have to make similar trade-offs between cost and the number of charge cycles their product will deliver. In a single-cell configuration a Ni-ZN battery will typically deliver 500 – 1000 charge cycles but, like its lithium-based counterparts, a multi-cell pack will require additional management electronics to match charge/discharge characteristics or it will deliver only 200 – 250 charge cycles. The shorter life of a so-called dumb pack is probably acceptable for many products but will definitely be required in applications like professional-grade power tools, electric scooters and PHEV battery systems.
PowerGenix says that they are actively developing a longer-lived second-generation cell that will have improved structure and assembly details that make them more rugged, and reduce manufacturing variations that allow their internal contacts to pull electrons from the battery electrodes more evenly. These mechanical improvements plus some minor tweaks to the cell chemistry have produced test units that are demonstrating a 2x improvement in charge cycles. It’s expected that the new designs will enter commercial production in 12 – 18 months. The improvements are not expected to change the batteries’ benign characteristics which make them resistant to the thermal runaway modes that plague lithium-based systems and allow them to suffer severe mechanical damage without fear of fire or explosion. In fact, here is a video of a PowerGenix cell being punctured during standard laboratory safety testing.
This combination of capacity, cost, and durability also makes these cells a good candidate for transportation applications. At least one major Chinese manufacturer (Power Eagle) has publicly announced that it will introduce a Ni-Zn-powered scooter in North America later this year (Q3 2009) under the Veloteq brand. Its 312 WH pack is a direct replacement for the lead-acid battery that originally powered the scooter but it takes up only half the size and weight. The space savings allows the addition of an optional second battery that doubles its range without a redesign of the frame or battery compartment. To prove its value in automotive applications, PowerGenix has retrofitted a Toyota Prius with a Ni-Zn battery pack that delivers equivalent capacity and is 20% smaller than the original unit. So far, it’s logged 20 k miles of trouble-free driving. I’m hoping to test drive both the scooter and the Ni-Zn-powered Prius and file reviews here some time later this year.
 PowerGenix is presently in full production of the 1500 mA-h AA batteries that are featured in the Quantaray battery and charger set featured in this review. They also manufacture a 2 A-h sub-C cell, and are entering the pilot production phase for a 6 A-h D cell. A 600 mA-h AAA cell is scheduled to enter production later his year. The sub-C cells are primarily intended to be used as alternatives to Ni-Cd or Ni-MH batteries in power packs for mid-range ($70 - $250) power tools. PowerGenix says that they typically deliver 25% - 30% higher energy density than a typical Ni-MH battery but cost around 20% less for an equivalent number of useable watt-hours. Based on current pricing, this translates to a 40% - 50% cost advantage over an equivalent Lithium-based solution.
Samples of PowerGenix AA, Sub-C and D-cells are available upon request but if you want to put Ni-Zn power to use in your personal life you can buy it directly from Ritz Camera. A kit containing four 1.6 V, 2500 mW-h Ni-Zn rechargeable AA batteries and a one-hour charger is priced at $49.99 in single-unit quantities. If you do buy this kit to power your camera or other existing consumer product, just make sure your application is designed to deal with the higher voltage that PowerGenix cells deliver. At least one review on Ritz’s web site indicates that not all photographic equipment can handle it.
Data Sheets
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